Space band cleaning apparatus



Jan. 6, 1959 -w. P. DONEHOWER 6,

sPAcE BAND CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Oct 26, 1956 Mm. ma MAY 9 4 w a wk 3 Y am A ATTORNEY Unite.

SPACE BAND CLEANING APPARATUS William P. Donehower, Folsom, Pa., assignor to Maurice H. Hartzell and Blanche D. Hartzell, Chester, Pa.

Application October 26, 1956, Serial No. 618,466

6 Claims. (Cl. 15-93) Various knife arrangements have been heretofore pro-.

posed and used for scraping type metal from space bands before they are finally polished as they pass through the remainder of the apparatus but such prior knives have States Patent produced a cutting or slicing of the type metal with the result that they tend to abrade and sometimes dig into the surface of the space band. This cutting or slicing action was accomplished by having a pivoted knife inclined at a small angle to the horizontal and forced downwardly about its pivot by a spring force which due to the complexities of the forces in the slicing action has made the scraping diflicult to control with precision thereby exposing the band to possible abrasion.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved knife structure whereby type metal that adheresto a band may be removed in such a manner that the possibility of damaging the band is eliminated or reduced to a minimum.

Another object is to provide an improved knife structure for removing type metal from a space band and in which the knife pressure is exerted in such a manner that it can be controlled with a high degree of precision in relation to the other operating forces and conditions involved during removal of the type metal.

A further object is to provide an improved knife structure for removing type metal from a space band and to allow the knife to be easily and quickly removed from, and replaced in, the cleaning machine.

In my invention I have found that instead of slicing or cutting the type metal from the band, the metal may be more effectively removed by what I term a pushing action which has the additional advantage of eliminating or minimizing damage to the band.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional View of the end of a space band cleaning machine of the chain feeding type showing my improved knife structure and its operating position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the knife guideway structure removed from the machine;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the knife carrying member removed from the machine;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 1 through the knife structure; and

Fig. 7 is a very much enlarged fragmentary perspective of the knife blade by itself.

I have shown my invention, for purposes of illustration, in a space band cleaning machine of the chain feeding 2,866,990 Patented Jan. 6, 1959 type, such as shown in Donehower et al. Patent No. 2,688,413, although my invention may be obviously employed in otherv types of space band cleaning machines in which the space bands are moved in their lengthwise direction. Inasmuch as the mechanical details and mode of operation of such type of machine is disclosed fully in said Donehower et al. patent, it will only be necessary to describe the same generally in my present application.

Space bands are individually fed forwardly from a vertical stack of space bands 1 by a suitable feeding plate 2. The plate has a transverse lug 3 periodically engageable by a pawl 4 and is spring-retracted after the pawl is released from lug 3. The pawl is mounted upon a shaft 5 which also supports a pair of sprockets 6 around which a pair of endless feed chains 7 pass, the sprockets for the other end of the chains and other details being omitted as they are shown in said Donehower et al. patent. The chains are continuously driven in one direction and have usual lugs 8, Fig. 3, secured to the inner sides of the chains for engaging usual lateral ears 9 on the space bands 10 thereby to pull the space bands lengthwise along a usual horizontal guiding surface 12. Also mounted on shaft 5 to rotate with the sprockets are band lifting earns 13 which pass upwardly through suitable slots in the stationary guide plate 12 to engage the band and lift it, particularly its forward end, as the band moves forwardly, i. e., to the right, Fig. 1.

My improved knife structure, which cooperates with the foregoing band lifting and feeding means, includes a support or guide block 15 having a vertically extending guideway 16 for a knife structure generally indicated at 17, Fig. 5. The structure 15 is supported over and in spaced relation to the path of movement of the space bands by being secured in position by screws 18 threaded in the frame sides 19 of the machine. The knife structure has a knife blade carrier body which consists of vertically and horizontally extending portions 2% and 21. The vertical portion is disposed in the vertical guideway 16 and has flanges 22 which are overlapped by to front surfaces 24 of the guide block 15. A knife blade 25 is held in position by a keeper plate 26 and screw 27 and is disposed obliquely to the path of travel of the space bands as is particularly shown in Fig. 6. The distance of the lower edge of the blade 25 above the plate 12 is controlled by an adjustable screw 28 threaded in the horizontal portion 21 and engageable with the top of the stationary guide block 15.

To exert a downward force on the knife-carrying structure 20 a lever 29 is pivoted at 30 to the guide plate 31 secured to and extending upwardly from the guide block 15. This lever extends entirely across the upper part of the machine and is biased downwardly by a spring 32 secured to a hand pin 33 which may be removably anchored by being provided with a reduced stub shaft 34 disposable Within a hole in the end of the support 15. A11 adjustable screw 35 is threaded in the lever 29 and has abutting engagement with the horizontal portion 21 of the blade carrier, this engagement preferably being offset to one side of the vertical axis of the blade as shown in Fig. 3, thereby to exert a pressure that is more nearly in vertical alignment with. the. area of the space band surface Where the type metal generally adheres. The finger pin 33 may be readily removed from the guide support 15 thereby to release the tension of spring 32 so that arm 29 may be swung out of the way to permit the knife carrier 20, 21 to be vertically removed to facilitate replacement of the blade 25 or to otherwise clean the blade or the machine adjacent thereto.

In the operation of my invention as the space bands 10 are individually fed beneath the vertical knife structure the earns 13 will lift the bands upwardly against the knife whose pressure is governed by the tension of spring 32 while the lowermost position of the knife will be governed by the adjustable screw 28 to prevent the knife blade from engaging the forward edge of the space bands as they feed forwardly. The tension of spring 32 may be adjusted with a high degree of nicety by the screw 35. As the band passes beneath the knife the vertical action thereof will produce a pushing removal action on the metal adhering to the space band surface rather than a cutting or slicing action as has been the prior practice. With this pushing action I am able to minimize or eliminate the danger of abrading or digging into the space band. The diagonal position of the knife also aids this pushing action by laterally removing metal as it is pushed oif of the band. Thus it is seen that I have provided a new structure, mode of operation and results that are rendered effective by a direct vertical movement down on to the bands. It has been found that this vertical action is especially effective if the knife edge does not have a keen cutting edge but instead is slightly rounded as indicated in the greatly enlarged view at 36, Fig. 7. ,It will be understood that the knife blade itself is preferably less than l of an inch thick so that the curvature 36 is obtained by merely passing a fine .file over a sharpened edge with a few strokes.

It is also seen that my invention is relatively simple in construction, operation and maintenance, and is rugged, compact and flexible in its operation, while at the same time effectively performing its desired functions.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth. in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a space band cleaning machine of the type having means to feed space bands in the direction of their length so that they have a leading edge comprising, in combination, a knife structure overlying the path of travel of the space hands, a guideway disposed so as to have a vertical downward component, and in which the knife structure is slidable so as to have a component of movement in a downward direction, means for biasing the knife downwardly in its guideway to engage a space band so that as the band moves lengthwise any type metal adhering thereto will be removed by the knife, and means for raising the space band to the knife as the band travels beneath the knife edge.

2. In a space band cleaning machine of the type having means to feed space bands in the direction of their length comprising, in combination, a knife structure overlying the path of travel of the space bands, a guideway disposed so as to have a vertical downward component and in which the knife structure is slidable so as to have a component of movement in a downward direction, means for biasing the knife downwardly in its guideway to engage a space band so that as the band moves lengthwise any type metal adhering thereto will be removed by the knife, said biasing means including a lever pivoted at one of its ends and extending transversely of the direction of the guided movement of the knife structure, the lever being engageable with the knife structure to move it downwardly, and a spring connected to the other end of the lever for biasing the same downwardly.

3. In a space band cleaning machine of the type having means to feed space bands in the direction of their length comprising, in combination, a knife structure overlying the path of travel of the space bands, a guideway disposed so as to have a vertical downward component and in which the knife structure is slidable so as to have a component of movement in a downward direction, means for biasing the knife downwardly in its guideway to engage a space band so that as the band moves lengthwise any type metal adhering thereto will be removed by the knife, said biasing means including a lever pivoted at one of its ends and extending transversely of the direction of the guided movement of the knife structure, the lever being engageable with the knife structure to move it downwardly, a spring having one end connected to the other end of the lever, a pin connected to the other end of the spring, and means providing a removable anchorage for said pin whereby upon releasing the anchored pin the lever may be lifted and the knife structure raised.

4. In a space band cleaning machine of the type having means to feed space bands in the direction of their length comprising, in combination, a knife structure overlying the path of travel of the space hands, a guideway disposed so as to have a vertical downward component and in which the knife structure is slidable so as to have a component of movement in a downward direction, means for biasing the knife downwardly in its guideway to engage a space band so that as the .band moves lengthwise any type metal adhering thereto will be removed by the knife, said biasing means including a lever pivoted at one of its ends and extending transversely of the direction of the guided movement of the knife structure, the lever having operative engagement with the knife structure to move it downwardly, a spring having one of its ends connected to the other end of the lever, a pin connected to the other end of the spring, and means providing a substantially horizontal hole in which the pin may be removably inserted to provide an anchorage for the pin which upon being removed will permit the lever to be lifted and the knife structure raised.

5. The combination set forth in claim 1 furthercharacterized in that the knife structure has a blade disposed transversely diagonally to the path of travel of the bands whereby metal removed by the knife blade is moved laterally thereof.

6. In a space band cleaning machine of the type having longitudinally movable chain'means for engaging space bands to feed the same in the direction of their length and means for lifting and lowering a band at a predetermined position of its travel, the combination, comprising, means forming a substantially vertically extending guideway overlying the path of travel of the band at the location thereof where a band is lifted, a knife blade carrier substantially vertically guided in said guideway, a substantially vertical blade supported by said carrier so that the blade acts substantially vertically downwardly on a space band as it passes beneath the blade and is raised against the same thereby to push type metal from the surface thereof, and means for biasing the blade downwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,333,285 Wellnitz Nov. 2. 1943 2,652,579 Hartzell Sept. 22, 1953 2,752,621 Warsaw July 3, 1956 

